Reed for musical instruments



(No Model.)

M. BRAY.

. REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 253,262. Patented Feb. 7,1882.

Fig. 4. 1 i9.

Witnesses: Inventor:

6 w yby M Z M w Attorney.

N. PETERS. Pholo-Lilhogmpher, WJSWIIKKDI. no.

i I I reed-plate A, as shown in Fig. 3.

- UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrere.

MELLENBRAY, OF NEIVTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 253,262, dated February 7, 1882.

Application filed November 11, 1881. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELLENBRAY, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Reeds for Musical Instruments, of which the following, taken in 0011- neetion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined reed and reed-plate and to the process of manufacturing the same; and it consists, first, of a reed and reed-plate made from one piece of metal.

It further consists of a reed and a reed-plate made from and forming, when completed, integral parts of the same piece of metal, with the tongue of the reed made of the desired varying thickness by pressure.

It further consists in the process of making a reed and its reed-plate from a single piece of metal by subjecting said piece of metal to pressurefto sink therein the necessary recess to form the throat and to condense and harden that portion of the metal covering said throat, and from which the tongue islto be formed, and then milling or :ot-herwise cutting away portions of the metal upon' the side opposite said recess to separate the reed from theplate along its two sides and one end, as will be hereinafter described.

Figure l is a plan of my combined reed and reed-plate finished. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of same. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line as w on Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of a blank after being subjected to press ure and before milling. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line ay on Figs.5 and 6.

A is the reed-plate, having formed in its under side the recess a, and provided with the throat I), which is covered by the reed-tongue 0, connected at one end to and forming an integral part of the same piece of metal as the The plate A is also provided with the recess (1 as ameans of withdrawing it from its seat in the reedboard of the instrument in a well-known manner.

In the process of making my combined reed and reed-plate I first form the recesses a and d and sink the central portion of the recess a to a greater depth to form the throat b by pressure between suitably-shaped dies, which may be formed upon the periphery of a pair of revolving pressure-rolls or may be used in a drop-press. When the piece of metal has been subjected to the action of the dies it will have assumed the shape shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7. I then mill or otherwise cut away the outer portions of the stock upon the side of the plate opposite to the recess a. to such a depth and width that the corner of the cutting-tool will just meet the corner of the recess or throat b, and thus sever the tongue of the reed along its sides from the plate A for a distance equal to the length of the throat I). The rounded end of the plate A is then passed beneath the milling-tool to cut away a portion of the surplus stock remaining on the center of said plate to such a distance that the corner of the tool will just cut into the throat Z) and separate the end of the reed-tongue rom the plate, as shown in Fig. 3.

The dies for forming the recess a and throat I) are so made as to sink the recess or throat I) deeper in some parts than in others, so that the metal which covers the throat I), and which is to form the reed, will be of varying thickness, according to the variation required in the finished reed, so that when the milling is completed the reed and plate is ready for tuning and does not require the large amount of filing to bring it to the desired shape that is necessary when the reeds are died out of stock of even thickness throughout. The pressure applied to form the recesses a and b so condenses and hardens the metal which covers the recess b, and from which the reed-tongue is to be formed, as to transform it from soft brass to hard spring-brass just suited to the requirements of a musical reed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A reed-tongue for musical instruments reduced to the desired variable thickness by compression, as distinguished from milling or filing, substantially as described.

2. A reed and reed-plate formed from a single piece of metal and having the tongue of pressure and cutting away the surplus metal 10 the reed made of the desired varying thickto separate the sides and one end of the reed ness by pressure, as distinguished from filing, from the reed-plate,substantially as described. substantially as described. Executed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 9th 3. The process of forming a reed and its day of November, A. D. 1881. reed-plate from the same piece of metal, which MELLEN BRAY. consists in forming the necessary recesses and condensing and hardening that portion of the metal from which the reed is to be formed by i Witnesses:

MELLEN N. BRAY, M. E. GROOKER. 

